Lowerable motor vehicle roof for a cabriolet

ABSTRACT

A motor vehicle roof with a front roof part ( 3 ), a middle roof part ( 4 ) and a rear roof part ( 5 ), which can be moved between a closed position which covers the motor vehicle interior and a lowered position in a rear convertible top compartment ( 10 ) which exposes the motor vehicle interior, the middle roof part ( 4 ) being pivotally supported via a first connecting rod arrangement ( 12, 13 ) on the body and the front roof part ( 3 ) being movably supported by a second connecting rod arrangement ( 14, 15 ) on the middle roof part ( 4 ) and being displaced over the middle roof part ( 4 ) during lowering. For space-saving lowering of the roof parts, it is provided that the rear roof part ( 5 ) is pivotally supported by a third connecting rod arrangement ( 16, 17 ) on the middle roof part ( 4 ), and when the roof ( 1 ) is lowered, is displaced over the middle roof part ( 3  or  4 ) so that the three roof parts ( 3, 4, 5 ) are deposited on top of one another in an identically cambered orientation. Feasibly, when the roof ( 1 ) is closed, the rear edge ( 57 ) of the rear roof part ( 5 ) rests on the closed lid ( 11 ) of the convertible top compartment, forming a seal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to a motor vehicle roof with a front roofpart, a middle roof part and a rear roof part, which can be displacedbetween a closed position which covers the motor vehicle interior, and alowered position in a rear convertible top compartment which exposes themotor vehicle interior, the middle roof part being pivotally supportedvia a connecting rod means on the body and the front roof part beingmovably supported by means of a connecting rod means on the middle roofpart and being displaced onto the middle roof part during lowering.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] German Patent DE 199 34 673 C1 discloses a motor vehicle roof inwhich the middle roof part is supported on the motor vehicle by means ofa main four-bar mechanism, the front roof part is supported by means ofa four-bar mechanism on the middle roof part, and the rear roof part isattached to the rear main connecting rod of the main four-bar mechanismand swings with it, all roof parts being guided by means of forcedmovement when the motor vehicle roof is being lowered. The roof partsare deposited on top of one another in the trunk of the motor vehiclesuch that the rear roof part is disposed bottom side up, while above itthe front roof part position is disposed over the middle roof part inthe identically cambered top side up position. The lid of the trunk andconvertible top compartment is swung down before the motor vehicle roofis lowered in order to allow the rear roof part to swing into the trunk.With the roof closed, the front edge of the convertible top compartmentcover rests on the rear edge of the rear roof part. Since the rear roofpart is lowered in the opposite direction or with the opposite camber tothe two front roof parts, a stowage space in the trunk which is higherin the vertical direction is needed.

[0005] Published German Patent Application DE 199 62 070 A1 discloses acomparable motor vehicle roof in which, likewise, the front roof part iscoupled by means of a four-bar mechanism to the middle roof part of athree-part roof, the middle roof part is pivotally supported by means ofa main four-bar mechanism on the body and the rear roof part is attachedto the connecting rod of the main four-bar mechanism and swings with it.In this roof, the front and the middle roof parts are also locatedidentically cambered in the trunk above the rear roof part which isdeposited with an opposite camber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The primary object of the present invention is to devise a motorvehicle roof of the initially mentioned type which enables aspace-saving lowered position of the roof parts in the convertible topcompartment using simple kinematics.

[0007] The object is achieved in the aforementioned motor vehicle roofin accordance with the invention in that the rear roof part is pivotallysupported by a connecting rod means on the middle roof part, and whenthe roof is lowered, is displaced over the middle roof part so that thethree roof parts are deposited on top of one another in the identicallycambered position. In this stack arrangement, the rear roof part can belocated both over the front roof part and also under the front roofpart, and in both cases, above the middle roof part. By means of theintended support on the middle roof part, compared to a fixed attachmenton the main bearing means, it is possible to achieve a definableswinging of the rear roof part which can be adjusted and matched to theentire lowering process, and the motion of the lid of the convertibletop compartment and/or a hat rack can be considered and included. Bymeans of the three hardtop roof parts, a longer motor vehicle interiorof even a four-seat cabriolet can also be covered and the parts canstill be lowered in a space-saving manner. To lengthen the roof, it canbe provided that, on the forward roof part, a front roof part is againsupported which, when the roof is lowered, can be shifted to over orunder the front roof part. The front roof part is thus more generally aroof part means with at least one roof part.

[0008] Preferably, the motor vehicle roof or the bearing kinematics isdesigned such that, when the roof is closed, the rear edge of the rearroof part rests on the closed lid of the convertible top compartment,forming a seal. This allows a simpler construction of the rear lowertermination of the rear roof part, since only one seal is necessary, forexample, on the bottom of the rear edge of the rear roof part whichrests on the opposing top surface on the lid of the convertible topcompartment. However, the seal can also be attached to the lid of theconvertible top compartment.

[0009] In one preferred configuration, the swinging motion of the rearroof part relative to the middle roof part takes place depending on thepivoting motion of the connecting rod means which supports the middleroof part. Thus, the swinging motion of the rear roof part can begindirectly with the swinging of the middle roof part and it begins,staggered in time, after initial swinging of the middle roof part.

[0010] One simple configuration calls for the rear roof part beingforcibly coupled by means of kinematics to the connecting rod meanswhich supports the middle roof part so that the swinging motion of themiddle roof part immediately causes a swinging motion of the rear roofpart. Furthermore, the connecting rod means for the front roof part canbe forcibly coupled by means of kinematics to the connecting rod meanswhich supports the middle roof part so that the front roof part does notrequire its own drive either.

[0011] For the sequence of motions in lowering the roof, it is feasibleif a hat rack which is located on the front side on the lid of theconvertible top compartment is movably supported on it so that, when thelid of the convertible top compartment is swung up, it can be moved intoa return position under the lid of the convertible top compartment.Thus, the path necessary for the lowering motion, especially of the rearroof part, can be easily cleared.

[0012] In doing so, there can be a controlled sequence of motions,according to which, when the roof is lowered after lifting the rear edgeof the rear roof part over the lid of the convertible top compartment,first the rear roof part is swung up at its front edge into its openposition, and in doing so, the hat rack is displaced into its returnposition under the lid of the convertible top compartment. In this way,in the lowering motion of the rear roof part into the convertible topcompartment, a path of motion in front of the front edge of the lid ofthe convertible top compartment and the front edge of the hat rack ismade available to the rear edge of the rear roof part.

[0013] According to one alternative configuration, the rear roof partcan be moved relative to the middle roof part by means of its own drive.Then, the rear roof part can be shifted first over the middle roof partbefore the main swinging motion of the middle roof part begins. Due tothe rear roof part which is initially shifted forward, it is possible touse the lid of the convertible top compartment which contains anintegrated or rigidly attached hat rack and which need not be shortenedin the lengthwise direction for swinging up for reasons of space.

[0014] Feasibly, the rear roof part and the front roof part can also becoupled for joint motion and can be moved by means of their own drive.In this way, the motion of these two roof parts is controlled andexecuted jointly and can take place independently of the pivoting motionof the connecting rod means of the middle roof part.

[0015] Embodiments of the motor vehicle roof are explained in detailbelow with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a portion of a cabriolet with ahardtop vehicle roof having a front, a middle and a rear roof part, theroof being in a closed position;

[0017] FIGS. 2 to 7 each show the three roof parts in a schematic sideview in a respective position as the hardtop vehicle roof is lowered;

[0018]FIG. 8 is an enlarged a side view of the front roof part whenbeing swung up over the middle roof part;

[0019]FIG. 9 is a partial schematic side view of the connecting rodconnection of the four-bar mechanism between the front roof part and themiddle roof part;

[0020] FIGS. 10 to 12 are respective schematic side views of the rearconnecting rod of the four-bar mechanism when the front roof part isswung onto the rear roof part;

[0021]FIG. 13 is a perspective overhead view of the roof when the frontroof part is being swung up over the middle roof part;

[0022]FIG. 14 is an enlarged extract from FIG. 3 showing the leverlinkage for the front connecting rod of the front four-bar mechanism;

[0023]FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective overhead view of the leverlinkage with the adjacent roof parts;

[0024]FIG. 16 is a side view that is enlarged as compared to FIG. 1 withthe rear roof part in the closed position;

[0025]FIG. 17 is a side view showing the support of the middle and rearroof part that is enlarged relative to FIG. 5;

[0026]FIG. 18 is a partial schematic side view of another embodiment ofa hardtop vehicle roof with a front, a middle and a rear roof part inthe closed position; and

[0027]FIG. 19 is a side view of an enlarged extract of encircled area ofthe vehicle roof shown in FIG. 18 in the intermediate open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] A motor vehicle roof 1 of a cabriolet 2 is made as an openablehardtop with a front roof part 3, a middle roof part 4 and a rear roofpart 5 (see FIG. 1). The cabriolet 2 can have one row of seats or afront 6 and a rear row 7 of seats, as shown in FIG. 1, so that thelengths of the individual roof parts 3, 4, 5 are matched to therespective length of the motor vehicle interior. When the motor vehicleroof 1 is opened and lowered after the front roof part 3 has beendecoupled from the windshield apron 8 or from the A columns 9, the frontroof part 3, the middle roof part 4 and the rear roof part 5 are loweredinto a roof storage space, i.e., convertible top compartment 10, whichis located behind the back row 7 of seats in the rear area of thecabriolet 2, and can be covered by the lid 11 of the convertible topcompartment or trunk.

[0029] The three roof parts 3, 4, 5 are pivotally supported via thesupports which are shown in the figures and which are each provided oneither side on the roof parts. The middle roof part 4 is pivotallysupported by means of a main four-bar mechanism which has a mainconnecting rod 12 and a main column 13 on the body such that it its topsurface faces upward when stowed in the convertible top compartment 10.The front roof part 3 is pivotally supported by means of a four-barmechanism which contains a front connecting rod 14 and a rear connectingrod 15 on the middle roof part 4 and when lowered, its top surface,likewise, faces upward and it is disposed over the middle roof part 4.The rear roof part 5 or the rear element, which contains, for example, arear window, is pivotally supported by means of a front lever 16 and arear lever 17 in an arrangement of the four-bar mechanism on the bearingarm 18 which is attached to the middle roof part 4 and projects to therear over its back end.

[0030] When the hardtop roof 1 is lowered, the front roof part 3 isswung onto the middle roof part 4 and the rear roof part 5 is swung ontothe front roof part 3. This compact, uniformly cambered unit then isswung into the convertible top compartment 10. The lowering motion isaccomplished by pivoting the main four-bar mechanism 12, 13 which alsopivots the front four-bar mechanism 14, 15 and the rear four-barmechanism 16, 17, for example, via kinematic forced coupling. Thelowering motion of the three roof parts 3, 4, 5 takes place continuously(see FIGS. 2 to 7). When the roof 1 is lowered, the lid 11 of theconvertible top compartment is raised with the hat rack 19 supported onit (see FIG. 3, 11′ and 19′ designate the rest position of the lid ofthe convertible top compartment and the hat rack) and is swung up withat its front edge 58 into the open position (FIG. 4), while the hat rack19 which is movably supported on the lid 11 of the convertible topcompartment is pushed to the rear to under the lid 11 of the convertibletop compartment. Further pivoting of the main four-bar mechanism 12, 13lowers the front roof part 3 onto the middle roof part 4 and swings therear roof part 5 onto the front and the middle roof part 3 and 4 (FIGS.5 & 6) until all three roof parts 3, 4, 5 have been lowered completelyinto the convertible top compartment 10 in a stacked arrangement inwhich the roof parts all face in the same direction, whereupon the lid11 of the convertible top compartment is swung back down again and thehat rack 19 extends forward and finally assumes its cover position (FIG.7).

[0031] The front connecting rod 14 of the front four-bar mechanism,which supports the front roof part 3, is pivotally supported by means ofa lever linkage 20 on the front end of the bracket 21 (see especiallyFIG. 8) which is attached to the middle roof part 4 and extends forwardbeyond the front edge 22 of the roof shell 23 of the middle roof part 4in an arrangement such that it is covered by the side area 24 of thefront roof part 3 in the closed position. The front drive or couplingrod 25 for swinging the front connecting rod 14 is coupled by means ofthe rear hinge 26 on the main connecting rod 12 and by means of thefront hinge 27 on the lever linkage 20.

[0032] The front end of the rear connecting rod 15 is pivotally coupledby means of the hinge 28 on the back end 29 of the front roof part 3.The back end of the rear connecting rod 15 is pivotally supported bymeans of a hinge 29 which is located on the middle roof part 4 roughlyin the middle between the front edge 22 and the rear edge 30 of the roofshell 23 and is lowered relative to the surface of the roof shell 23 sothat the rear connecting rod 15, in the closed position of the roof 1,is accommodated in a recess 31 which is in the form of a lengthwisegroove or channel which extends between the middle section 32 and theside section 33 (see FIG. 13) of the middle roof part 4 over its length.The recess 31 is, for example, a so-called weld groove in which the twoadjacent side edges of the middle section 32 or of the side section 33which are directed downward are joined to one another, for example, bywelding.

[0033] The front hinge 28 of the rear connecting rod 15 is attached toan elongated bearing part 34 (FIG. 9) which is accommodated in a recess35 which has been formed, for example, likewise by the weld groovebetween the middle section 36 and the side section 37 of the front roofpart 3 (FIG. 13) and is attached thereto. A screen or cover 38 coversthe recess 35 with the bearing part 34 held therein flush with thesurface of the front roof part 3.

[0034] The weld groove or the recess 31 on the middle roof part 4 formsa wet area (i.e., an area exposed to the elements and into which waterrunning over the roof may enter) which is bordered forward by the seal39 which is attached to the front edge 22 of the middle roof part 4. Inthe closed position of the roof 1, the seal 39 tightly adjoins thebottom of the front roof part 3.

[0035] A screen 40 (FIG. 10) covers the rear section of the recess 31between the hinge 29 on the back end of the rear connecting rod 15 andthe rear edge 30 of the roof shell 23. The screen 40 is supported to beable to pivot around the rear axis of rotation 41 and is pre-tensionedupward into its cover position by a pre-tensioning means, for example, aspring 66. In the cover position, screen 40 is arranged flush with thetop of the roof shell 23 and its downwardly curved front end 42 adjoinsa projection 43 on the back end of the rear connecting rod 15 fromunderneath. If the rear connecting rod 15 is pivoted rearward around thehinge 29, the projection 43 presses the front end 42 of the screen 40down (FIGS. 11 & 12) so that the rear connecting rod 15, which is beingswung to the rear, can drop into the recess 31, and in doing so, pressesthe screen 40 down. When the roof 1 is closed the rear connecting rod 15is lifted out of the recess 31 and its projection 43 guides the screen40 into its cover position.

[0036] Due to the comparatively large bearing distance between the rearhinge 29 of the rear connecting rod 15 and the rear hinge 44 of thefront connecting rod 14 on which it is pivotally supported on thebracket 21, as also between the front hinge 28 of the rear connectingrod 15 and the front hinge 45 of the front connecting rod 14 which formsthe coupling to the front roof part 3, a four-bar mechanism with a largesupport base is formed which enables stable support of the front roofpart 3.

[0037] The rear connecting rod 15 is made such that, in the closedposition of the roof 1, it is arranged flush with the roof surface sothat it visually covers the recess 31 and a cover for the front sectionof the recess 31 is therefore not necessary.

[0038] The screen 40, in an alternative configuration, can be attachedsecurely on its back end to the recess 31 of the middle roof part 4 andcan be made, for example, of plastic with a certain flexibility so thatit bends down flexibly when it is pressed down on its front end 42 andby resting flat on the connecting rod 15. The reset force is madeavailable by the plastic material.

[0039] The lever linkage 20 which is located on the front end of thebracket 21 (see especially FIGS. 14 & 15) contains, for example, a rightangle lever 46 with a first leg 47 which is pivotally supported at oneend on the front end of the bracket 21 in a hinge 48 which is locatedabove the hinge 44 which supports the front connecting rod 14. Thecoupling rod 25 is coupled to the second leg 49 of the angle lever 46 ina hinge 27 which is located set back from the end of the second arm 49.One end of a short connecting lever 51 is coupled to the end of thesecond lever 49 by means of a hinge 50, and the other end is pivotallyconnected by means of a hinge 52 to the end of the front connecting rod14 which projects over the hinge 44.

[0040] The distance between the hinge 27 and the hinge 48 in thedirection perpendicular to the coupling rod 25 forms the effective leverarm for application of the drive force to the lever linkage 20 and thusto the front connecting rod 14. By means of this design of the compactlybuilt lever linkage 20, the effective lever arm is always large enoughso that, at a large pivot angle of the front connecting rod 14, both inthe closed position and also in the open position of the roof 1, thecoupling rod 25 is relatively far away from the dead center positionrelative to the lever linkage 20 and to the hinge 48.

[0041] The drive for moving the rear roof part 5 (see especially FIGS.16 & 17) contains a rear drive rod 53 which is coupled on one end to thehinge 26 attached to the main connecting rod 12 and at the other end tothe hinge 54 which is adjacent to the hinge 55 which pivotally supportsthe rear lever 17 of the four-bar mechanism supporting the rear roofpart 5 on the bearing arm 18. When the roof 1 is lowered, the mainconnecting rod 12 of the main four-bar mechanism is swung around itshinge 56, with which it is coupled to the bearing arm 18. The pivotingmotion of the hinge 26 is transferred via the rear drive rod 53 and thehinge 54 to the rear lever 17. According to the establishment of thedistances between the hinges 26, 56 and hinges 55, 54, the behavior ofthe rear lever 17 in motion can be set depending on the motion of themain connecting rod 12.

[0042] The front roof part 3 is swung at the same time via the drive rod25 which is likewise coupled to the hinge 26. The drive rod 25 isomitted if the front roof part 3 has its own drive.

[0043] Due to the coupled forced control of the movements of the frontroof part 3 and the rear roof part 5, during the lowering motion of themiddle roof part 4, in the embodiment shown, the described rearwarddisplacement of the hat rack 19 to under the lid 11 of the convertibletop compartment is necessary so that the rear edge 57 of the rear roofpart 5 can be lowered during the lowering motion in front of the frontedge 58 of the opened lid 11 of the convertible top compartment (seeFIGS. 4 to 6).

[0044] When the roof is closed, the rear edge 57 of the rear part 5,which edge contains a seal, in one simple sequence of motions, isplaced, from above, on the already closed lid 11 of the convertible topcompartment (motion of FIG. 2 to FIG. 1).

[0045] The driving of the main four-bar mechanism around thebody-mounted hinges 59, 60 of the main connecting rod 12 and the maincolumn 13 takes place, for example, by means of a hydraulically actuatedpiston-cylinder unit 61 which, for example, engages the main column 13.

[0046] In one alternative configuration, the coupling rod 25 is notconnected to the hinge 26, but to its own drive means which iscontrolled via a control means for coordinated lowering motion.

[0047] Another alternative configuration (see FIGS. 18 & 19) calls forthe front coupling rod 25 and the rear drive rod 53 to be connected toone another in the hinges 26, 26′; however, these hinges 26, 26′ are notattached to the main connecting rod 12, but to a pivot lever 62 which issupported by means of a hinge 64 on the middle roof part 4. A drivemeans 65 engages pivot lever 62 so that the movements of the front roofpart 3 and the rear roof part 5 proceed coupled, but can be adjusted bycontrolling the drive means independently of the motion of the mainfour-bar mechanism or of the middle roof part 4. Thus, when the roof islowered, first the front roof part 3 can be swung onto the middle roofpart 4 and the rear roof part 5 onto the middle roof part 4 and onto thefront roof part 3 located over it before the middle roof part 4 with thecompactly arranged unit of the three roof parts is lowered to the rearinto the convertible top compartment 10. Here, the hat rack 19 can beformed as a fixed unit with the lid 111 of the convertible topcompartment since the lid 11 of the convertible top compartment is onlyopened when the rear roof part 5 has been swung over the middle roofpart 4, and thus, the rear edge 57 of the rear roof part 5 can be easilymoved past in front of the forward edge 63 of the hat rack 19.

[0048] In another embodiment of the motor vehicle roof (not shown), inthe four-bar mechanism support of the front roof part 3, the rearconnecting rod 15 is supported on the projecting section of the bracket21 in front of the roof surface 23 of the middle roof part 4, so thatthe rear connecting rod 15 which is formed especially curved or at aright angle (according to the arrangement as is known from German PatentApplication DE 199 62 070 A1 or German Patent DE 199 34 673 C1) is swungin front of and over the roof surface 23 of the middle roof part 4 andthe described recess 31 is not necessary. The drive means can be formedaccording to the aforementioned statements.

[0049] In general, instead of the supports shown with four-barmechanisms, also multiple hinge means with more than four hinges canalso be used.

What is claimed is:
 1. Motor vehicle roof which is displaceable betweena closed position which covers a motor vehicle interior and a loweredposition in a rear convertible top compartment and in which the motorvehicle interior is exposed, comprising: a front roof part, a middleroof part and a rear roof part, a first connecting rod means on the bodywhich pivotally supports the middle roof part, a second connecting rodmeans on the middle roof part which movably supports the front roof partand by which the front roof part is displaceable over the middle roofpart during movement toward said lowered position, and a thirdconnecting rod means on the middle roof part which pivotally supportsthe rear roof part and by which the rear roof part is displaceable overthe middle roof part; wherein the connecting rod means, collectively,are adapted to deposit the roof parts on top of one another in anidentically cambered orientation in said lowered position.
 2. Motorvehicle roof as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the closed position, arear edge of the rear roof part is adapted to rest on a closed lid ofthe convertible top compartment in a manner forming a seal therebetween.3. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thirdconnecting rod means is adapted to produce a swinging motion of the rearroof part relative to the middle roof part in dependence upon a swingingmotion of the first connecting rod means which supports the middle roofpart.
 4. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rear roofpart is forcibly coupled by means of kinematics to the first connectingrod means which supports the middle roof part.
 5. Motor vehicle roof asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the second connecting rod means for thefront roof part is forcibly coupled by means of kinematics to the firstconnecting rod means which supports the middle roof part.
 6. Motorvehicle roof as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a hat rackmovably supported at a front side thereof on the lid of the convertibletop compartment so that, when the lid of the convertible top compartmentis swung up, the rack is movable into a return position under the lid ofthe convertible top compartment.
 7. Motor vehicle roof as claimed inclaim 6, wherein the connecting rod means, collectively, are adapted toproduce, when the roof is being lowered, a controlled sequence in which,after lifting the rear edge of the rear roof part above the lid of theconvertible top compartment, first, the rear roof part is swung up atits front edge into an open position, and in doing so, the hat rack isdisplaced into a return position under the lid of the convertible topcompartment in order to enable, during lowering of the rear roof partinto the convertible top compartment, a path of motion for the rear edgeof the rear roof part in front of the front edge of the lid of theconvertible top compartment and the front edge of the hat rack.
 8. Motorvehicle roof as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear roof part ismovable relative to the middle roof part by means of a drive of its own.9. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear roof partand the front roof part are coupled for joint motion and are movable bya drive of their own.
 10. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 1,wherein a rear connecting rod of the second connecting rod means ispivotably supported on the middle roof part at a pivot axis which is setback from a front edge of the middle roof part so as to swing upward outof an outer surface of the middle roof part when the roof is beinglowered.
 11. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 10, wherein a frontconnecting rod of the second connecting rod means is pivotally supportedby a hinge which is located on a bracket which projects forward from themiddle roof part in forward of the outer surface of the middle roofpart.
 12. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 10, wherein the rearconnecting rod, in the closed position of the roof, is flush with orbelow the outer surface of the middle roof part.
 13. Motor vehicle roofas claimed in claim 10, wherein the rear connecting rod, in the closedposition, is accommodated in an upwardly open recess in the middle roofpart.
 14. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 13, wherein the rearconnecting rod, in a swung-back open position, is lowered at leastpartially into a rear section of the recess.
 15. Motor vehicle roof asclaimed in claim 13, wherein the recess is located between a middle partand a side part of the middle roof part.
 16. Motor vehicle roof asclaimed in claim 14, wherein a screen is provided which covers the rearsection of the recess, which extends rearward from the rear connectingrod, in the closed position of the roof.
 17. Motor vehicle roof asclaimed in claim 16, wherein the rear connecting rod is adapted to pressthe screen down into the recess during upward pivoting thereof. 18.Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 17, wherein the screen isattached on at a rear end thereof to the middle roof part and whereinthe rear connecting rod has a projection on a rear end thereof that isadapted to press down on a front end of the screen during upwardpivoting of the rear connecting rod.
 19. Motor vehicle roof as claimedin claim 10, wherein the rear connecting rod is coupled to a rear end ofthe front roof part.
 20. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 14,wherein the front connecting rod of the second connecting rod means, ina swung-back open position thereof is lowered into a front section ofthe recess.
 21. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 1, wherein afront connecting rod of the second connecting rod means is pivotallysupported by a pivot bearing which is located on a bracket whichprojects forward from the middle roof part, and wherein the frontconnecting rod is driven via a pivotable lever linkage arrangement. 22.Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 21, wherein the lever linkagearrangement is forcibly coupled to a main pivot drive for lowering the,roof.
 23. Motor vehicle roof as claimed in claim 21, wherein the frontconnecting rod is driven via a drive rod and an interposed lever linkagearrangement which has a coupling lever which is pivotable on the middleroof part around a fixed pivot axis.
 24. Motor vehicle roof as claimedin claim 21, wherein the front connecting rod is driven via a drive rodand an interposed lever drive which has a coupling lever which ispivotable on the middle roof part around a fixed pivot axis and to whicha drive rod is coupled, the fixed pivot axis of the coupling lever beingarranged such that, at least in one of the two end positions of swingingmotion of the front connecting rod, the distance of the fixed pivot axisfrom a coupling point of the drive rod to the coupling lever, whichdistance is lateral relative to the drive rod, is greater than a lateraldistance of a pivot bearing of the front connecting rod from thecoupling point of the drive rod to the coupling lever.